Rudy Giuliani holds a 9:30 am ET press conference at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC, where he is expected to receive an endorsement.

(Kudos to Hagel and the Giuliani campaign for keeping their twin secrets.)

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) attends an 11:00 am ET breakfast fundraiser in Fresno, CA. McCain will then attend a 3:00 pm ET fundraiser in San Diego, CA. His last event for the day will be a 9:00 pm ET fundraiser in Orange County, CA.

Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA), who turns 60 today, holds a fundraiser at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. He recently taped an interview with Fox's Sean Hannity which is expected to air tonight on FNC during the 9:00 pm ET hour.

President and Mrs. Bush visit Guatemala to meet with President Oscar Berger. They will begin their morning with a visit to a medical readiness and training exercise site, followed by a visit to the Santa Cruz Balanya town square. The President and Mrs. Bush will then visit Labradores Mayas Packing Station, followed by a visit to an Iximché Site. In the afternoon, President and Mrs. Bush will participate in an arrival ceremony at the National Palace in Guatemala City. The President will then participate in a meeting with Guatemalan President Berger, followed by a joint press availability with the two leaders. In the evening, President and Mrs. Bush will participate in a social dinner with President and Mrs. Berger at the National Palace.

Tonight on "World News with Charles Gibson," an exclusive and hilarious look inside the legendary "Animal House" quarters of four of the most powerful men in Congress.

The fellas argue about grocery receipts, landlord George Miller's rent, and which roommate they want to impose a dress code upon....What clothes of former roommate Rep. Marty Russo, D-Illinois, defeated 14 years ago, leave in the living room? Who killed the rat with a golf club? Whose underwear is that on a living room shelf? You won't want to miss it. LINK

Appearing on NBC's "Today," Andrea Mitchell reported on the buzz around the potential candidacies of Thompson and Hagel, saying that "McCain's campaign has stalled," and that these two men see an opening because, simply, "the front runner is Rudy Giuliani."

On "Today", Joe Scarborough said Sen. Thompson "better get out fast and he better raise a lot of money," and Noted that of the GOP hopefuls, "two of the top three have enough wives between them to start a basketball team."

Appearing on CBS' "Early Show," Amy Walterf of the Cook Political Report said Sen. Hagel's potential entry into the race will "add some very interesting dynamics because he is the only Republican candidate coming out aggressively against the war." Also, the Thompson announcement "exposes some real problems because it shows Republicans are not happy with their crop of candidates."

2008: Republicans: Hagel:

"Early on, though, Hagel's biggest challenge lies in convincing the party's pro-Bush activists to support him," writes Jonathan Martin in Politico in a story that is required reading for anyone covering the Hagel announcement today. LINK

"'I don't know what constituency he'd be looking for,' said Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party. 'To be the anti-war Republican? Good luck to you, sir.'"

The Roger Stone cameo: priceless.

Jake Thompson and Robyn Tysver of the Omaha World-Herald report on the "mixed signals" from Sen. Hagel about his political plans which could range from "running for president to getting out of politics entirely."
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Firefighter preview:

The cattle-call season enters a new phase this week when thousands of firefighters from every congressional district in the country hear from a bipartisan group of presidential candidates at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, reports ABC News' Teddy Davis.
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Harold Schaitberger, the president of the International Association of Fire Fighters, spoke with ABC News about the four Republicans and six Democrats who are coming to the forum. He also dished on one candidate -- Rudy Giuliani -- who will not be in attendance.

"'There are those candidates that were invited that are not necessarily up and down on our issues,'" Schaitberger told ABC News. "'But we want to make available to them the platform and an opportunity to make their case with our leadership and our members.'"

To help you make your mid-week plans, here is Wednesday's line-up:

9 a.m.: Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) speaks.

9:30 a.m.: Former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-Va.) speaks.

10 a.m.: Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) speaks.

10:30 a.m.: Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) speaks.

11 a.m.: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) speaks.

1 p.m.: Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) speaks.

1:30 p.m.: Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) speaks.

2 p.m.: Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) speaks.

2:30 p.m.: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) speaks.

3 p.m.: Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) speaks.

Nevada Democrats drop Fox:

After coming under intense pressure from MoveOn.org, the Nevada Democratic Party announced late Friday that it was dropping Fox News as the sponsor of its August debate.

The Las Vegas Review Journal finds little sense in the cancellation, blaming the influence of the "socialist" wing of the party, writing, "You'd think the deal called for having Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter mock the candidates between comments."
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The New York Times' Noam Cohen weighs the pros and cons for Fox News as a partisan political target. LINK

In response to Nevada Democrats saying that they were motivated to drop Fox because of Roger Ailes making a joke about Sen. Obama and Osama Bin Laden, the AP has Obama saying he's "been called worse." LINK

"So one thing this battle wasn't about was Roger Ailes' Thursday night joke," begins Ben Smith reporting on the decision to nix the Democratic debate on Fox News. "The joke was the face-saving pretext that the Nevada party and Harry Reid needed to concede defeat" to the liberal netroots who are "very, very good at intramural battling."
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2008:

In Sunday's Washington Post, U.C. San Diego's Samuel Popkin and the University of Arizona's Henry Kim cautioned Democrats that the last time either party captured the White House two years after wresting control of both House and Senate in midterm elections was in 1920. LINK

Calvin Woodward of the AP writes this morning that all of the 2008 presidential candidates are spending more time talking about Iraq then domestic issues. Some candidates are trying to break away, but the discussion will eventually find its way back to Iraq.
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ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin takes a look at the "closet cleaning" now required of presidential aspirants who want to get ahead of those "at the bottom of the media food chain." LINK

Ron Eachus offers a look at what he calls "royal family fatigue" which is what could happen to voters with the Bushes and Clintons. If Clinton did win the presidency in 2008 and again in 2012, that would make 28 years of either a Bush or Clinton at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.
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Chuck Raasch finds an openly flawed field on both sides of the aisle in 2008. USA Today has the op-ed. LINK

2008: nomination calendar:

The potential for twenty-three states holding nomination contests on February 5, 2008 has set some presidential campaign strategy on its ear. The New York Times' Adam Nagourney takes a closer look. LINK

"For the most part, the candidates and their aides cannot quite figure out what all this turmoil means for them. The changes, which are shaping up to be the most substantial alteration ever to a campaign calendar in a single election cycle, have heightened the volatility of the most wide-open presidential race in 50 years, one with large and well-financed fields of contenders."

"Aides to the candidates said they were debating whether the changes would mean that the nominations would effectively be settled on Feb. 5, by which point easily 50 percent of the delegates are likely to have been chosen, or whether a few strong candidates would divide the Feb. 5 take, forcing the campaign to stretch on for months. That could, oddly enough, make those fewer states sticking to later primaries vital players in the election cycle."

2008: Republicans: Fred Thompson:

"Friends who are already mapping out his pitch say Thompson, 64, is likely to assess his chances around the beginning of May. Thompson will have access to a sizable conservative audience in coming weeks as the substitute host on Paul Harvey's radio program, a heartland touchstone. Last year, ABC News Radio named Thompson special program host and senior analyst, leading to speculation he might be the heir apparent for Harvey, who's 88," writes Mike Allen of Politico. LINK

Two conservative icons offered differing views on Gingrich's acknowledgement of personal indiscretions to the Wall Street Journal's June Kronholz for her weekend edition look at the former House Speaker's possible presidential bid. Paul Weyrich said "our people" are "very oriented toward accepting" Gingrich going on his knees and asking God's forgiveness. Phyllis Schlafly, by contrast, said "the marriages and the girlfriend" are a problem for Gingrich.

An unnamed McCain strategist gloated that Gingrich's entrance into the race would hurt Romney by soaking up the "hard-right vote." Meanwhile, pollster Tony Fabrizio thinks Gingrich could overcome a lack of funds by targeting conservative voters in states that award their convention delegates proportionally.

Newsweek's Bailey and Rosenberg see Gingrich's radio confessional on Friday as an indication that a presidential bid may be on the horizon. LINK

2008: Republicans: Giuliani:

Eating Ben Smith's dust, Newsday's Tom Brune reports on conservatives' qualms with Mayor Giuliani's record on judicial appointments, who some say was "missing in action" in the fight to shift the court rightward. LINK

Eating Ben Smith's dust, and under a "Conservatives balk over Giuliani's judges" header, the Los Angeles Times' Tom Hamburger and Adam Schreck look at a number of Giuliani judicial appointments who do not appear to "fit the conservative mold."
LINK

2008: Republicans: Romney:

The AP's Glen Johnson describes the relative "fountain of youth" Gov. Romney finds himself in compared to his GOP candidates as he turns 60 today, while exploring the age issue in Sen. McCain's case. LINK

David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times looked at Mitt Romney's Bain Capital money and how generous the governor has been with his financial donations to Massachusetts-based conservative groups with a reach into the national arena. LINK

Brian E. Crowley of the Palm Beach Post reports that former Gov. Jeb Bush's (R-FL) policy director, Alan Philp, has signed on to run Gov. Romney's "idea factory."
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Kathleen Hennessey of the Associated Press reports that former Gov. Kenny Guinn (R-NV) will endorse Gov. Romney, and run his Nevada finance-steering committee. LINK

Looking at Gov. Romney's conversion on abortion, Janet Hook of the Los Angeles Times explores the history of shifting abortion positions and its political repercussions. "Voters have come to accept some changes of heart as sincere and durable," writes Hooks, who cites converts on both sides of the debate, ranging from Rep. Kucinich to Ronald Regan.
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2008: Republicans: McCain:

In an interview with Peter Hecht of the Sacramento Bee, Sen. McCain attacks moves by Democrats in Congress to limit the president's war authority, saying that the withdrawal plan "sends a message to the enemy: 'Hang on, we're leaving and we'll tell you when we are,' " and says of disagreements in his party over immigration, "I really regret the tenor of this debate. I really do." LINK

Keying off of Sen. McCain's recent interview with National Review, Jonathan Chait chided the Arizona Senator in Saturday's Los Angeles Times for allegedly converting to voodoo economics and for wrongly thinking that he was a co-sponsor of Brownback's anti-cloning bill.
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Asked by National Review if there were any circumstances, including the guarantee of spending cuts, under which he'd consider repealing the tax cuts he denounced and voted against, Sen. McCain said: "No. None. None. Tax cuts, starting with Kennedy, as we all know, increase revenues."

2008: Republicans: Brownback:

Sen. Brownback hit two pizza joints in Iowa this weekend to make his "bleeding heart conservative" pitch to small groups of potential caucus-goers. The New York Times' rising Michael Luo takes a look at the Kansan's weekend stumping. LINK

The Des Moines Register's Jolene Stevens finds Sen. Brownback making new friends, but keeping the old in Iowa. LINK

2008: Democrats:

The Washington Post's Anne Kornblut looks at the "unusually intense" sparring between the Obama and Clinton campaigns this early in the nomination process, quoting Obama's thoughts on the other major candidates, "I want to wait and hear what John Edwards has to say, he's kind of good-looking. And you know, Hillary Clinton, you know, she's interesting."
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Chris Cillizza and Shailagh Murray reported in Sunday's Washington Post that top campaign operatives representing each of the Democratic presidential candidates broke bread late last week at a dinner organized by the DNC.
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At the meeting, DNC Executive Director Tom McMahon and Chief of Staff Leah Daughtry "briefed the campaign managers on a variety of topics, including the committee's national voter database project and its work to beat up the potential Republican nominees through research and press releases."

"The topic of debates also arose, according to another informed source, with McMahon and Daughtry taking the temperature of the group about a series of DNC-sponsored gatherings beginning later this spring."

2008: Democrats: Clinton:

The two leading Democrats vying for their party's 2008 presidential nomination have now reversed their earlier opposition to setting a target date for the withdrawal of all U.S. combat troops from Iraq.

Sen. Obama was first to reverse his opposition, as chronicled in January by the Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet.
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Now Sen. Clinton, who said in Sept. 2005, "I don't think you should ever telegraph your intentions to the enemy so they can await you," and who said in January of this year, "I'm not going to support a specific deadline," has also reversed her earlier opposition to such a move.

As reported Saturday by the Washington Post's Shailagh Murray, this week will mark the first time that Sen. Clinton has embraced a legislative deadline for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, a step she has "consistently resisted to this point."
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The Washington Post Noted that "even Senate leadership aides are attempting to characterize Clinton's position as consistent with her previous views."

Bob Novak, acting like the old is new, accuses Sen. Clinton of padding her civil rights resume. ". . . the real problem with her speech concerned her claimed attachment to Martin Luther King Jr. as a high school student in 1963. How, then, could she have been a 'Goldwater Girl' during the following year's presidential election?'"
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Novak also claims that the sharp rebuke to David Geffen was approved unanimously during a campaign conference call presided over by consultant Mark Penn. "Bill Clinton was not on that call. But the former president, described by Democratic sources as 'incandescent' over Geffen's remarks, recommended the harsh response."

On Sunday, Pat Healy of the New York Times wrote of Sen. Clinton's "100 Club" speech, "It was one of the widest-ranging speeches that Mrs. Clinton has delivered this winter, and it reflected several trends in her campaign: Presenting herself as the most experienced, confident candidate in the field; tapping her husband's ideas and personal popularity; and portraying her candidacy as historic and inspiring for women and girls." LINK

While keynoting the New Hampshire Democratic party's "100 Club" fundraiser this weekend, Sen. Clinton raised an estimated $200,000 for the state party while decrying the Bush Administration's treatment of the middle class. The Union Leader's John DiStaso has more. LINK

Albert McKeon of the Nashua Telegraph writes that, "Democrats had their political appetites satisfied Saturday: chocolate in the afternoon with Hillary and then a chicken dinner with Hillary." LINK

The New York Post's Geoff Earle reports that Rep. Yvette Clarke is the lone holdout preventing the Clinton campaign from boasting about unanimous support from New York Democrats serving in Congress. LINK

The New York City Council may prove more problematic than the congressional delegation for 100% Democratic support. LINK

From NY1 News' report on Sen. Obama's New York fundraiser on Friday night: "'I can go so far as to say being from Bronx County, Clinton is certainly taking the African- American vote for granted,' said City Councilwoman Helen Foster. 'I am always suspect of elected officials -- especially white elected officials -- that we see in black churches Sunday mornings when it's election time. We are more than just a Sunday-morning base.'"

"Obama has 'taken the steam out' of Clinton's support among African-American voters, upsetting her core campaign strategy, Democratic activists agree," writes Fred Dicker in his New York Post column. LINK

USA Today borrows the Des Moines Register's Thomas Beaumont and his write up of Obama's comments on the Middle East while in Iowa this weekend. The Senator will begin incorporating a more intimate one-on-one campaign style into his Iowa visits, " 'After some of the initial novelty of the campaign fades off, as we enter the summer months, we're going to have the opportunity to campaign in that fashion,' Obama said in a Des Moines Register interview." LINK

In Sunday's Des Moines Register, Beaumont reported that Sen. Obama emphasized his unwavering opposition to the Iraq war while campaigning in Iowa on Saturday. LINK

"'I think it's a contrast between me and the other candidates,' Obama said in a Des Moines Register interview. 'I have consistently believed that this war was not just a problem of execution, but was a problem of conception.'"

Note that Obama's campaign circulated a pamphlet Saturday that included the text of a 2002 speech he gave as a state senator, objecting to a U.S.-led invasion of Iraq as well as Sen. Obama drawing comparisons between his campaign and the 2004 campaign of Howard Dean.

Fred Dicker of the New York Post blindly quotes a Democratic activist supportive of Sen. Clinton's candidacy talking about what he sees as Rev. Al Sharpton's furor over Sen. Obama's candidacy. LINK

"'It's driving Al crazy that Obama is as impressive and popular as he is, and he's not happy about it,' said another black Democratic activist. 'Sharpton is just terrified of being overshadowed by someone of Obama's class and character.'"

The Chicago Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reports, without much evidence, that Michelle Obama will play a more public role in her husband's campaign. LINK

2008: Democrats: Edwards:

In Sunday's Washington Post, Dan Balz reported that Sen. Edwards' 2004 emphasis on biography has given way to a 2008 focus on issues, where there has been a "demonstrable shift to the left -- on the Iraq war, health care and the federal budget deficit."
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In a Friday interview with the Washington Post, Edwards said concerns from liberal activists about Fox's sponsorship of the Nevada Democratic Party debate had no influence on his decision to announce that he would not participate.

"'I saw the list of debates that we had and the list of things we're doing specific in Nevada, and I said, 'Why are we doing Fox?' I said, 'No, tell them no.' ' Asked whether he knew about the bloggers' concerns, Edwards said, 'I didn't personally know, no.'"

"He called on Saturday to say: 'The correct answer to that is I was generically aware that the Net-roots hates Fox. I did not know about any specific activity about this.'"

On the fundraising front, Balz had unnamed party strategists saying Edwards "must not be a distant third behind Clinton and Obama" when first-quarter totals are released at the end of this month.

The New York Times' John Broder wrote a Saturday story about the "critical" role Iowa is likely to play in Sen. Edwards' bid for the White House. LINK

Elizabeth Edwards' bout with cancer helped shape Edwards' health care policy, which is a cornerstone in his campaign. LINK

2008: Democrats: Richardson:

Jeff Jones of the Albuquerque Journal reports on Gov. Richardson's skillful use of his former post as chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, doling out funds to races in states like Nevada and Iowa. "I think a lot of the party individuals know that I was helpful. But I'm not playing on that," said Gov. Richardson, "I'm just going issue to issue, voter to voter."
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A statewide poll in Nevada found Clinton and Giuliani ahead of the bunch, with Giuliani having a slight edge over Junior Senator from New York.
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2008: Senate:

In an interview with Roll Call's Erin P. Billings, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) downplays GOP hopes for 2008 Senate contests. "Could we get it back?" said Sen. McConnell. "It would have to be a good day."

Politics of Iraq:

The RNC has circulated a Los Angeles Times editorial on "Do we really need a Gen. Pelosi?"
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The New York Times' Shanker and Mazzetti take a look at SECDEF Gates -- the un-Rumsfeld. LINK

Big Casino budget politics:

William Neikirk of the Chicago Tribune reports a bipartisan commission will propose lighter regulations on business on Monday. And the next day, "Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is to hold a conference to discuss how U.S. capital markets can maintain their international leadership. Among the invitees are such prominent business figures as Warren Buffett and Charles Schwab." LINK

Politics of prosecutorial independence:

The New York Times' Hernandez wraps Sen. Schumer's Sunday morning talk calling for Attorney General Gonzales to resign in light of the latest controversy surrounding the dismissal of several US Attorneys. LINK

Democratic agenda:

The Washington Post has Speaker Nancy Pelosi's list of members for the new committee on global warming.
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The Schwarzenegger Era:

As Gov. Schwarzenegger prepares to head to Iowa, New Hampshire and other critical states to sell his vision of post-partisanship, Peter Nicholas reported in Sunday's Los Angeles Times that the governor's GOP critics say "there's no magic: He just joined the other side."
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Spiegel Online has an interview with Schwarzenegger about his battle to protect the environment, the Iraq war, and why his opponents are "girly men."
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The Boston Globe's Rick Klein take a look at Sen. John Kerry and wife Teresa Heinz Kerry's new book "This Moment on Earth, a book dedicated to individuals who are taking action to stop global warming and other threats to the environment."
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Walter Reed:

Appearing on "This Week with George Stephanopoulos," former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-KS) talked about his chairmanship of the Wounded Warrior Commission, and offered his thoughts on the 2008 presidential race. Read the transcript here:
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